Deep Something

We the People Means More of Us

October 27, 2026 B. John 78 Views 0 Comments Voting Rights, U.S. Constitution, Voter Intimidation, Election Integrity, Donald Trump, Constitutional Amendments, Democracy, civic responsibility, We the People

This entry is in the series 2026 Elections

There is something remarkable about the American Constitution that we rarely stop to consider. Across more than two centuries, Americans have repeatedly amended our founding document to expand the right to vote. Each generation inherited a democracy that excluded too many people, and successive generations worked to open its doors wider.

The 15th Amendment prohibited denying citizens the vote because of race. The 19th Amendment extended constitutional protection to women. The 24th Amendment outlawed poll taxes in federal elections. The 26th Amendment protected the voting rights of citizens 18 and older. Other amendments expanded the people’s direct participation in choosing their representatives and president. Each represented another step toward a more inclusive democracy.

But that constitutional history stands in troubling contrast to the current administration’s actions and rhetoric. From federal seizures of election records to discussions of deploying federal agents at polling places, President Trump and his administration have raised serious concerns about government interference in the democratic process. And when a pastor who advocates repealing women’s voting rights is invited to preach at the Pentagon, we are reminded that even long-established constitutional protections cannot be taken for granted.

We the People has never just meant those in power. The late Congressman Barney Frank said government is what we choose together. That “together” means everyone. Our constitutional history tells a remarkable story of Americans working to expand democracy, not restrict it. As another election approaches, that promise is worth remembering

Stoicism Featured Politics Election

Can You Be a Stoic and a Political Activist?

September 26, 2026September 29, 2026 B. John 166 Views 0 Comments Stoicism, civic responsibility, justice, Political Activism, common good, Political Division, Democracy

This entry is in the series Journey Through Stoicism

This entry is in the series 2026 Elections

Can you be a Stoic and still be politically active? I think the answer is not only yes, but that Stoicism gives us a better way to do it. The ancient Stoics did not confuse acceptance with surrender. They accepted what could not be changed, while challenging injustice when action was still possible.

That question feels especially urgent now. We are living in a time when division itself has become a political tool. Culture war fights can dominate attention while people are still struggling with housing, health care, violence, war, and the basic question of whether government can still solve real problems. Anger may be useful in campaigns. It is rarely enough to build a decent society.

Stoicism asks something harder of us. Stay engaged without becoming consumed. Think clearly when others are trying to provoke you. Act with courage when something is wrong. Keep justice at the center. And remember that the people on the other side of a political argument are still part of the same community.

Politics, at its best, is what we choose to do together. This essay asks what Stoicism can teach us about showing up for that shared life, especially when the temptation is to give up, tune out, or shout louder.

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Before We Choose Together

August 14, 2026August 14, 2026 B. John 380 Views 0 Comments Democracy, voter influence, political access, community leadership, special interests, representative government, Civic Engagement, Tampa Politics, Campaign Finance, political power

This entry is in the series 2026 Elections

We like to tell ourselves a comforting story about democracy: everyone gets one vote. The developer who can spend thousands on campaigns gets one. The teacher gets one. The restaurant worker gets one. The college student voting for the first time gets one. On Election Day, at least, the arithmetic is wonderfully simple.

But political power starts working long before Election Day. Candidates need money, introductions, endorsements, volunteers, organizations to support them, and people who can get them into the rooms where political relationships are built. By the time most voters start paying attention, a much smaller group may have already spent months deciding which candidates have the money, visibility, and standing to be taken seriously.

That raises a question I hadn’t fully considered when I wrote What We Choose Together: What needs to happen before the word “together” is really true? In Before We Choose Together, I look at money, access, community ties, and the kind of public officials who still answer the phone and talk with regular people. Our vote matters, but so does our ability to be heard before we cast it.

Culture Featured Politics Constitution

The Second Declaration

July 9, 2026July 9, 2026 B. John 489 Views 0 Comments John Lewis, Civic Engagement, American History, Constitution, Declaration of Independence, America250, Thomas Jefferson, Historical Fiction, Democracy

This entry is in the series The 250th 4th

This is the 4th in a series related to this 250th Fourth of July

Imagine, for just a moment, that one of America’s Founders could return on the 250th anniversary of the Declaration of Independence and quietly walk among us. What would he see? More importantly, what would he think?

In this work of historical fiction, I explore that question through the eyes of an aging observer who discovers a nation that has exceeded the dreams of 1776 in remarkable ways while, at the same time, placing many of its founding ideals in jeopardy. His journey takes him from Independence Hall to Monticello, Gettysburg, Selma, and Washington as he confronts both America’s greatest achievements and its deepest contradictions.
The result is not a history lesson or a political speech. It is a meditation on liberty, citizenship, and the unfinished work of the American experiment. Along the way, familiar figures from our past take on new meaning, old promises are reconsidered, and one unforgettable question is left for every generation to answer.

I hope you’ll take a few minutes to read The Second Declaration. I suspect it may stay with you long after you’ve reached the final sentence.

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What Are We Going to Do Now?

July 5, 2026July 9, 2026 B. John 513 Views 0 Comments Democracy, Civic Engagement, Social Justice, American Democracy, Citizenship, We the People, American Values, Political Participation, 250th Anniversary

This entry is in the series The 250th 4th

Essay 3 of a series examining where we are at 250 years

That question is easy to ask but far more difficult to answer. It is tempting to surrender to cynicism, retreat into anger, or simply conclude that one person’s voice no longer matters. Yet history tells a different story. Every major step toward a more just America began because ordinary people refused to believe that tomorrow had to look exactly like yesterday.

This concluding essay in my 250th Fourth of July trilogy is not about despair. It is about responsibility. It is a personal reflection on the kind of citizen I have decided to be, regardless of the political climate, and an invitation for each of us to consider the role we will play in writing America’s next chapter. Because history will move forward. The only question is whether we will help hold the pen.

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When Principle Gets Called Partisan

June 11, 2026June 12, 2026 B. John 532 Views 0 Comments Civic Engagement, civic responsibility, partisanship, political bias, motivated reasoning, Democracy, confirmation bias, public discourse, moral principles

After a civic engagement event I helped organize, a woman approached me with a question that stayed with me. She wondered what a similar event held by “the other side” might look like. Would they just sit around saying ugly things about “us”? When I explained that our event was designed to be nonpartisan, focused only on helping people engage with public officials on whatever issue mattered to them, she looked at me and said, “Well, I’m here to tell you this was definitely partisan.”

That moment got me thinking about the difference between being partisan and being principled. We often call something partisan because it actually promotes a party, candidate, or ideology. But sometimes we use the word because something made us uncomfortable, challenged our assumptions, or touched a moral concern we have already sorted into a political box.

This essay explores how bias shapes what we hear, why two people can sit in the same room and experience almost different events, and why civic responsibility itself has started to feel suspicious in our divided culture. Democracy cannot survive if every effort to help people use their voice gets treated as a political threat.

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2008 Election Wrap-up

November 10, 2008September 29, 2018 B. John 537 Views 0 Comments Obama, Palin, Right Wingnuts, voting, voters, Campaigns, republicans, mccain, Democrats, Democracy

Last Tuesday night/Wednesday morning was certainly a bittersweet time. As I’ve said before, I’m not one of the millions of Obama-maniacs, but I was glad he won. I think America will soon be in far better hands than she is now. I was even more pleased to see a good number of hateful and bigoted Republicans kicked to curb, and their nasty campaign rhetoric repudiated. Obviously though, the passage of the three anti-marriage amendments was a great disappointment. In this post, I’ll provide my observations on where we are now relative to the election.

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A Time For Anger, A Call To Action

March 23, 2007September 29, 2018 B. John 648 Views 0 Comments bill moyers, Religion, jesus, methodist, religious, Constitution, Constitutional, Democracy, Occidental College, Woodrow Wilson

I have come across the continent to talk to you about two subjects close to my heart. I care about them as a journalist, a citizen and a grandfather who looks at the pictures next to my computer of my five young grandchildren who do not have a vote, a lobbyist in Washington, or the means to contribute to a presidential candidate. If I don’t act in their behalf, who will?